weekend update

This is the first weekend in 2.5 years of marriage that Husby has been gone. Every few months, I have an overnight stay with a friend or for work. Although I hate leaving him, I think he secretly loves it. He can do whatever he wants. Whatever he wants usually includes playing video games and eating fast food.

Once or twice, he's had something for work that's called him away for a night, but I've never been on my own for two nights. I'm not a fan. Other than the fact that I have no one to listen to me dramatically tell stories, I also have no one to kill bugs or make me feel secure without using every possible lock on every single door in our house.

After I got Husby out of the door on Friday, I visited the Gresham Barn Sale. It's about a mile from our house. If you're familiar with First Monday in Canton, Texas, then this is similar but only a barn full of stuff that doesn't include nearly as much junk. Within an hour of Husby being leaving town, we were the proud new owners of an antique, handmade Amish seed bin. And it's beautiful. Currently, it's in our garage. It needs just a little TLC before it makes it's new home in our dining room.

Friday night, I headed back to the school to watch our kids perform Bye Bye Birdie. Y'all, it was SO good! I've seen my fair share of high school musicals, and this was pretty amazing. I mean, just look at these cute kids:

On Saturday, I had a visitor. We played outside, took a walk, had lunch, and snuggled while watching The Backyardigans. After three hours, I wonder how stay at home mom's ever get anything done or have a moment of down time. Thus, The Backyardigans. Here's Karis using the slide in our backyard for the very first time:

Cute, huh?

This morning did not start off well. I had to kill two gross bugs. A water bug was on the super tall ceiling in our living room. It took about 45 minutes to come up with a plan to kill it from twelve feet away; I couldn't wait for it to make a descent. Ultimately, I was successful. I'm just hoping the Raid on the ceiling fades over time.

(If you're not familiar with east Texas, "water bug" is another term for "big nasty cockroach." They like our pine trees, but a super finicky when there is too much water or not enough water.)

(If you're wondering about the second bug I had to kill--because, really, who isn't--it was a gross wolf spider. They freak me out. I hate them.)

(I feel fairly certain that the world could go on surviving if water bugs and wolf spiders became extinct. Surely, they don't impact us that much.)

Anyway...Husby is about an hour away from his return. He has homework to complete, but he's going to have to listen to a couple of stories. Mainly about how I can't believe I had to kill two of my least favorite creatures on earth on a day that he's gone.

Weekend Update

This weekend was so nice. I've had such a busy two weeks, especially in the evenings. Truth be told, I love staying home at night. We don't go out to dinner much, or at least we do take out. Especially on Friday nights. It's like we're retired folk. This weekend revolved around television and movies. We decided that we must see a movie or two since we didn't see any of those nominated for Academy awards. We hit up Blockbuster Express on Friday night before a quick trip to grab a burger. While we ate, we watched Top Chef All-Stars.

We're HUGE fans of Top Chef, and self-proclaimed foodies who love a drive-thru burger. After being extremely satisfied with the outcome of the episode, we popped in:

Oh, it's so good! Not like I have to announce that to my blog readers--or anyone else in the world--since we're a good year behind the curve. I admit that I cried a little, mostly at the end when Andy is playing with his toys again.

On Saturday, our plan was to see two movies, but the theater changed the times, so we were only able to see one:

It's definitely worth every award it won. I loved it. It doesn't hurt that I'd watch Colin Firth in anything; I think he's an amazing actor. I haven't seen The Fighter, but Christian Bale must have been more than fabulous to win the Academy award since Geoffrey Rush did an outstanding job in The King's Speech.

On our way home, we stopped by Blockbuster Express to return Toy Story 3, and I had a coupon code for Buy 2, Get 1 Free. So we rented three more movies. After dinner with my parents (my mom's first time for sushi, chopsticks and  martinis), Husby and I watched:

First of all, a couple of years ago I deleted Mark Zuckerburg as my facebook friend for unknown reasons except that I didn't know why he needed to be my friend. After watching this movie, I feel good about this decision. It was a good movie, but not nearly as good as The King's Speech. Oh, and this was the first time that I wanted to hit Justin Timberlake.

We watched Inception last night. Truth be told, I thought more in that 2.5 hours than I planned to think during Spring Break. Half the time, I didn't know if we were watching a dream OR a dream within a dream OR a dream within a dream within a dream without really thinking about it. Again, great movie, but I'm still glad The King's Speech won the Academy Award for Best Movie.

Confession: I love Will Ferrell. And Marky Mark. And funny movies. I can't wait to watch this.

Also, I was able to watch the premier of:

It's my guilty pleasure. I loved Bethenny Getting Married, so I'm super excited that she's on for another season.

Husby and I also watched this weeks:

If you don't watch this, you should. It is laugh out loud HILARIOUS. Every week. We laugh at it, and then look at each other and smile because the things that happen in this show are things that could (and have) happened to us.

Our goal of watching movies and TV this weekend was more than met. I think I wound up watching 11 hours total. Impressive, right? I have plans for Spring cleaning over my one week break, and maybe a couple of other movies.

Have a great Monday!

Weekend Update: Birthday Edition

It's Monday, and it's so cold! When we woke up, the weatherman informed us that it was 26 degrees. That's chilly for Texas folk! I do enjoy the cold weather because I love wearing dresses and tights and boots. I just feel so cozy in this winter "uniform." Ha! I'll feel even cozier next week when I don't have to get up before dawn. Oh, the joys of the education field.

We had a semi-relaxing weekend. Saturday was Husby's birthday; we'd planned to do absolutely nothing, but he surprised me last week with tickets to a Willie Nelson concert for that night. He's just so sweet. Husby loathes country music, but still bought tickets for me to do something that I've always wanted to do. And that he went on his birthday--well, that's just even sweeter. We were successful in doing nothing during the day.

We took Crickett on a walk late in the afternoon and happened upon an estate sale. I'd like to preface this by saying that I love a deal. I scour Cragslist. I try to visit garage sales and estate sales, but only find junk or over-priced items. I never find anything fun or cute or cheap. But it all changed on Saturday. Even if I never find another good piece via Craiglist or garage/estate sales, I hit the jackpot with this purchase. (And I don't have a picture now, but I'll post one soon.)

I've always loved this home in the Azalea district:

I mainly went into the estate sale to see the inside of the home. (When else would I have the chance to peek inside? Without being a creeper?) I left Husby and Crickett outside while I made my rounds through both stories of the house. When I walked into the house, the homeowner shared that everything was 1/2 off. I saw pieces that I would love to have, but Husby doesn't share the feeling that 1/2 off of $1800 is a good deal. Ha! It was everything I dreamed of. I even went into the closets, which rival the size of our dining room. That's when I found our new chest of drawers. This piece was almost 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. And it was 1/2 off $250. What?! I ran downstairs and grabbed Husby; the owners told us that Crickett could go inside the house. I showed him this piece of furniture, and he agreed that we should buy it. We don't need it now, but as our family grows (not prego), we will. And you can't find a piece that cheap! When we hauled it downstairs--with the help of Jeremy's brother and SIL, we discovered it is SOLID wood. I can't wait to refinish or paint it! It'll be perfect in some room, someday.

On Sunday, we went to church, and then right back home. We lounged, did a bit of Christmas shopping in the afternoon, and then I made dinner for my sweet husband. His choice of dinner: filet mignon with blackberries, roasted asparagus and baked potatoes. It was so yummy! I'll post the recipe for those steaks this week. I also made a chocolate cake that was SO rich I couldn't finish the last two bites. And I don't typically give in while eating chocolate. It super easy, so I'll post that recipe, too.

I hope you had a great weekend, too! Be a blessing this week.

Weekend Update

Today has been a day of rest at our home. Other than brewing coffee and making muffins, we've done almost nothing. Which is nice considering our busy day yesterday. Husby and I went Christmas shopping--and eating--with his family. A day of Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Banana Republic, and World Market, sprinkled with meals at Grand Lux Cafe and Maggiano's, sounds perfect to me. However, Husby does not enjoy a day spent at stores. Luckily, he did enjoy Angry Birds and Cut the Rope on my iPhone, when The Container Store just didn't do it for him. We're quite different in that respect. I could spend hours in The Container Store, dreaming of my next organization project.

As I type this, our bellies are full from yummy Banana Crumb Muffins. Although I've claimed not to bake in my Things I Don't Do list, I am a pretty decent muffin maker. I was quite happy with this mornings result: 

I'll share the recipe later this week.

This morning, I finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is such a fabulous read! This book has been on my book list for about a year. I finally snagged it at a local used bookstore. It's written in letters, and I couldn't wait to finish one letter so that I could move to the next. Guernsey is a Channel Island (English Channel) that was occupied by the Germans during World War II. The book is set just after World War II ends; each character tells stories about the Occupation, but more importantly, their relationships with each other during this time. Now, I badly want to visit Guernsey. I want to smell the sea air and walk along the beach. I fear that I might be disappointed when the reality of the characters as part of fiction sets in. I'd love to walk along the beach with Juliet and Kit, or share tea and raspberry pie with Amelia. Although a quick trip to Guernsey isn't an option, I do think that a re-read is imminent. Here are a couple of quotes that made me fall in love with the book even more:

"I wonder how the book got to Guernsey?

Perhaps there is some secret sort of

homing instinct in books that brings

them to their perfect reader.

~Juliet

"Reading good books ruins you

for enjoying bad ones.

~Isola



Next up on the docket? A game of domino's with Husby. Then I plan to be somewhat productive. My goal to purge our home of 100 items by Thanksgiving requires some action on my part. (Read about that here.) I need to gather 10 items per day to make it a little less overwhelming. I have my eye on a few things that will make an exit.

The Weekend

Oh, I love a good weekend. Friday was an early release day at school. Normally, the worker bee in me would stay and get ahead. Not so on Friday. I left work and headed to Dallas to meet up with my college roommate, Adriane. Our plans? To hear Shauna Niequist speak, author of Bittersweet: Thoughts on Grace, Change and Learning. It was such a nice way to spend an evening, and oh so refreshing for my soul.

Shauna read a handful of passages from Bittersweet, and then we had a great question and answer time. My favorite chapter changes every few days, but one of my favorites is "Things I Do." I feel--as a woman--pressure from society to do: work 40+ hours per week, keep a clean house, cook fabulous meals, workout, maintain relationships, and on and on. Evidently, this is common. Shauna addresses this in her book, along with advice she was given:

"It's not hard to decide what you want your life to be about.

What's hard is figuring out what you're willing to give up

in order to do the things you really care about." -Bittersweet

This really strikes a chord with me. For the girl who wants to do it all, it's a challenge to be willing to give up doing. Shauna creates an ever-evolving list of "Things I Don't Do." What a great idea! On our way home, Adriane and I came up with our own lists. Though I want it to be a list that changes over seasons, here are Things I Don't Do:

1.) I don't bake. I don't like to bake. It requires precision and time that I don't like to give. And one small mistake can throw it all off (unlike cooking).

2.) I don't use cloth napkins. I know that it's super classy to bring the paper towel holder to the table, but that's what we do. I don't like washing more linens than absolutely necessary. And I sure don't want to iron these. So, for now, it's paper towels.

3.) I don't shop at Wal Mart. I know it's convenient and less expensive, but I don't like it. I prefer making two less stressful stops at Target and the grocery store.

4.) I don't finish reading books that I don't enjoy. They're not worth my time.

I feel liberated saying that I don't do things. I like it!

Adriane and I enjoyed shopping on Saturday morning and had more conversations about life. Then we visited my sweet friend, Christine, and her husband and oh-so-cute baby, Luci. After a quick trip to their fabulous farm store, Urban Acres, I headed back home. I arrived just in time to change clothes and head to a wonderful wedding.

Yesterday, after church, Husby and I did a little rearranging around the house. In the winter, our home gets pretty chilly. The coldest spot is the dining room; it hovers around 55 degrees. Brrr! We decided to move our dining table into our living room so that we won't have to eat a the bar for the next five months. That meant changing the layout of our living room. Twice. Then we organized the closet below our stairs. Husby assembled a new shelving unit, and I got to make order of all the stuff. He doubted my abilities to fit it all back into the closet. I guess it might take more than a year of marriage for him to have confidence in my organizing/packing abilities. I mean, who else can fit 55 pounds in a carry-on bag? That's talent, my friends.

I hope you had a great weekend. Happy Monday!

Weekend Update (with a Recipe)

Oh my word. The busyness of the impending holiday season has already begun! I feel like we run from one thing to another. It's not that I don't want to do things or see people, it's just that I really like my bed. My 5:30am workout is going into the third week, so I cherish the weekends when I wake up after the sun. (Oh, and that little tip about getting up at the same time everyday. Not doing it. That's just crazy talk.)

On Friday night, my friend and college roomie, Adriane was in town. For our quality time, we ran errands. I think that screams "adult." Running errands after work on a Friday afternoon. You know what else screams adult? When she left to go visit another friend, I went to the grocery store--on a Friday evening. IT WAS HEAVEN. There were so few people. I think I might do it next week.

After a trip for groceries, I grabbed dinner to go for me and Husby. I called about five minutes out, so that he'd be ready to help carry in the trunk load, only to find out that we'd lost power. We ate dinner outside with the citronella candles that proved useless, since I have mosquito bites all over. Just as we were done, the electricity came back on. Hallelu! I had a baby shower to prep!

My friend-sister like person, Ashley, is preggers with her first baby. We grew up together, and our families are still inseparable. It's so exciting! I made a yummy cheese ball. (I'll post that recipe later in the week.) As soon as I started on the next project, we lost power. Again. Grr! It came back on much more quickly than the first time. Once the lights were on, I finished making a mobile for the nursery, as well as big, colorful tissue pouf balls for shower decor.

On Saturday, I drove to my hometown for the shower. It was a great morning/early afternoon. I was able to see tons of people who I haven't seen in quite a while--at least since our wedding, almost 11 months ago! It was a fabulous shower, and OH SO CUTE! Of course, being away from home for the morning and most of the afternoon meant that dinner was in the hands of Husby. I gave him the recipe for Crockpot Chicken and Black Beans (recipe below), and it turned out wonderfully! It's definitely a repeat for us--it was yummy and easy.

Today has been a day for cleaning. Seriously, I loathe cleaning. And not only did I clean, but decided both bathrooms needed to be reorganized, which meant everything from both rooms pulled out into other rooms. It looked horrible for most of the day. But now, it looks so nice! Hopefully, it will be much more functional.

I'm off to our clean room to get ready for bed in our clean, reorganized bathroom. I hope you have a great Monday!

Crockpot Chicken and Black Beans

4 FROZEN boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 C salsa

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

8 oz. cream cheese

Place chicken, salsa, beans, corn and spices into crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours, or until chicken is done. Place cream cheese on top 30 minutes before serving. Stir into mixture when melted. Serve with rice.

Weekend Update

For those of you who know me in real life, you know that me and WalMart do not get along. I've had some crazy experiences at the WalMart that equate to oh-my-gosh-I-can't-shop-there-ever-again. Just a peek into my WalMart experiences: almost being run over by a motorized cart DRIVEN BY A KID and witnessing ANOTHER KID open a container of French onion dip, get a little taste, and return it to the refrigerated shelf. Perhaps I should chalk that up to bad parenting, but my brain automatically files it under REASONS I CAN'T SHOP AT WALMART.

I do have one confession, though, albeit personal. I really like this one brand of underwear at WalMart. Sure, other places like have good underwear, but spending $6 per pair of skivies just doesn't settle well with me. Especially when these are just as comfy. Which means, on Saturday I made the biannual trek to WalMart. (Wait, does biannual mean every other year or twice a year? Because I meant twice a year. Those things always confuse me.) And my experience was POSITIVE. I even called one of my BFF's to let her know.

The lamenting over what in the world I'd wear on vacation is somewhat solved, thanks to WalMart. I know, crazy, right? Now, you should know that I am quite a frugal shopper. I super love me some clearance racks at any store, especially Target. I get very excited when someone compliments the $6 dress a found at Ross or the $3 shirt at JCPenney. I feel it necessary to clarify that I do not mind at all shopping at less-expensive stores; I'm a frugal gal. But considering my aversion to setting foot in WalMart more than twice a year, much less spending enough time to shop for clothes, I was shocked. I actually found two pair of cute-ish shorts. (Remember, I don't usually wear shorts--or pants--because of my love for dresses and skirts.) And the kicker was a really cute $9 dress. When I pulled it out of the bag to show Husby, he even thought it was cute. I know that it'll be worn at some point on our vacay; I'll make sure to point it out in the appropriate pictures. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to visit WalMart a little more often!

Onto the next subject involving what in the world to wear on vacation: shoes. Although I plan to take my tennis shoes so that my husband doesn't file for divorce when we return citing bad choice of footwear for walking 12 miles per day while on vacation, I did find these canvas cuties at Target. (Sorry, I can't find a bigger picture.)

I did have a crisis-of-fashion-faith on Saturday. I must admit, I am not a big fan of Crocs. They're just not cute. They're a case of comfort winning over fashion. By a landslide. Imagine my surprise when I almost bought a pair. I tried them on, and y'all, those things are COMFORTABLE! I hesitated because I could hear the voices of fashion-reason in my head (who sound like a few select friends) who laughed at my inclination toward Crocs. I put them back on the Shoe Carnival shelf and walked out of the store, texting those small voices in my head. Evidently, they're okay with the wearing of a Croc while on vacation. Today, I'm heading back to the Carnival to buy these cute-ish Crocs.

And, yes, I feel like I've succumbed to putting fashion on the back burner for the sake of comfort. But JUST THIS ONCE. It will prevent Husby from filing for divorce when we return. I promise, there are no elastic waistbands in the future. Those will be reserved for the nursing home. Updated to add that pregnancy will also require some type of flexible waistband. Elastic, if you will.

On Sunday, we cheered on Espana in the World Cup. My sister-in-law is from Spain, so we really wanted Spain to win (after the U.S. was out, of course). And they did! Viva Espana! Because soccer is so much less physical than American football (except for kicking people in the chest and not getting a red card), I've decided that if we have boys, we're going to get really excited about soccer and never watch American football. That way, they'll want to play soccer and avoid getting concussions when they're 12.

I'm off to start a busy week at work. Hope you have a great Monday!

P.S. Husby did admit that he promotes comfort for me in hopes of the Wrangler jean shorts making a return. Confession is good for the soul. Unfortunately, it's not always good for fashion.

Weekend Update: Things Learned

For the most part, we had a nice, fun and relaxing weekend. Husby and I both took off work on Friday. (I had to plan this ahead of time. One of us is fine taking a mental health day a couple of times a year. The other isn't so much okay with calling in at the last minute.) There were a few things to check off our list (when is there not?), but it was so nice not to have a super-squeezed agenda. Our only must do was arrive at The Ballpark at Arlington for a Rangers v. Cubs game at 7:05pm.

In order of things learned:

1. Passport pictures are now taken with a digital camera. This technology has progressed since my last passport. Hallelu! My passport was my last legal document (I think) to get a name change, but it also came on the heels of it expiring after ten years. Let me say, I hate my current/old passport picture. I was so glad to be able to update this picture. (Secretly, I always hoped to marry before ten years--just so the picture could change. Ha!) But I was somewhat concerned that my fate for the picture would be like Monica getting her driver's license in Friends. Remember when she kept getting ugly driver's license pictures? She paid to get several new pictures. And I wasn't above doing that. After all, when I got my driver's license done in the fall, I asked the lady to see the picture. She chuckled. I'm glad it was a good picture because I'm not sure she would have taken it again. But the lady at Kinko's brought out her digital camera. I was ready to ask to see it after she'd taken it, but before I could, she offered. We both saw my hair sticking out in one place, and she was more than happy to take it again! The second was acceptable. I decided they can't be great pictures because of the white background.

2. Baseball is dangerous, or don't sit above Row 24 at The Ballpark in Arlington, if you're behind home plate. This is a favorite place for foul balls to strike. A poor guy sitting three rows behind us was NAILED in the nose with a foul ball. I've never seen a nosebleed like this. Followed by a crooked nose. Followed by the guy leaving. Probably to go to the hospital for said broken nose. The next inning, a BASEBALL BAT flew into the crowd. Followed by more foul balls than I've ever seen in a game. This game required total attention. Socializing was a very risky behavior.

3. If you attend a baseball game where the opponent is from somewhere up north, don't say things like, "Who are the Black Hawks?" with a condescending tone. This behavior puts you at full advantage for any man (who cares about hockey) within hearing range to turn around and answer, "Umm...the hockey team!!" in a condescending tone.

4. If you eat at Ol' South Pancake House in Fort Worth (which I recommend) on a Saturday morning, the vacant parking lot to the south of the restaurant is off limits. For normal people, authorized parking in vacant lots means that Monday-Friday, don't park in the lot. But for the owner of this lot, he means DON'T PARK THERE EVER!!! Or else after you've enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with lots of coffee and wonderful pancakes, your car will have been towed. Conveniently, said owner is rumored to own the taxi company. Not only does he have your car towed, he gets a little more of your money by providing HIS taxi cab. Also rumored is that he owns the gas station across the street. Racket, perhaps?

5. If in the past you avoid grocery shopping at WalMart, but you've paid an astronomical amount to have your car released from the wrecker lot, then you suddenly feel that WalMart will offer the better deals for groceries. My list is made, and I'm off. Eating out is at the bottom of our "things to do" for the next month or so. Wish me luck!

Weekend Update: Bullet Style

In an attempt to shake things up, I'll be listing things with bullets, rather than numbers. It's called living on the edge, people. And that's what I do. Just read the first bullet.

• Yesterday, I went on a bike ride for the first time in over ten years. Oh.my.gosh. Riding a bike is harder than I remember. Why did I ever think it was fun? When I was younger, I just loved riding to the nearby gas station to get a drink and snack, and then riding back. But now, I just don't think it's worth pedaling the three blocks it would take me to get a Fudge Round and Diet Coke. I mean, today, I'm a little saddle sore from the bike seat. And I don't think the three blocks would burn off the calories from the Fudge Round. On a positive note, I like it much better than running, which I've never thought was fun. I never ran to the gas station for a snack. Fudge Rounds just aren't that good.
  
  
• Because I loathe running, I plan to continue bike riding. My friend, Jenny, loaned me her super-sweet road bike. It has REALLY thin tires, which made me a little nervous, especially while riding them on brick streets. After a chat with my super-cyclist brother, Paul, I discovered that riding a road bike on brick streets is not recommended. Now, I'm on a search to find a nearby route that would eliminate brick streets. And the potential for wiping out in front of all of the people that will soon swarm the Azalea Trail.
  
  
• This weekend was Canton Weekend, or as people not from a 40-mile radius call it, First Monday Weekend. Oh, it was beautiful out. I didn't buy much at all. I'm sure Husby will be relieved, since he asked what I'd be looking to buy. With Canton, you don't know what you need until you get there. Truth be known, he'd probably let me spend any amount of money I'd like at Canton as long as he doesn't ever have to go.
  
  
• Other than my bike ride and quick trip to Canton, I've had a working weekend. In April, our school will host a huge fundraiser, Off the Vine Wine Gala. My sweet and wonderful boss (so serious about that) volunteered me to do lots of fun things that involve using a design program known to be extremely non-user-friendly (so serious about that, too). That means every free moment of time after work will be spent designing things like posters and menu cards. I sure do wish they'd let me use some Crayola markers; I can do some serious posters with markers.
  
  
• Okay, I have to give a plug for NPR. I just love their program Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! If you have a long drive, or if you need something to listen to while ironing your husbands shirts, it's such a fun program. I laugh out loud at most everything. In fact, I'm planning to download as many programs as my iPod will hold for our next road trip. You can download for free from iTunes.

Y'all have a super great week. Be a blessing!

Weekend Update: Dr. Pepper Edition

This weekend was terrific. Husby and I left Friday night for weekend in Fort Worth. We were so excited to hang out with friends, Brent and Patti. I met Patti in 2001 in Romania.

(She hardly has an accent now.)

(Just kidding, she's from the great State of Texas.)

(And she does have an accent.)

On Friday night, we had dinner at Fuzzy's Taco. It was yummy. I wish I could elaborate more on Fuzzy's, but really the highlight of the evening was Menchie's. Husby and I had it a couple of months ago, and I've thought about it so many times since. I was ready to plead my case to visit Menchie's to the other three, but as soon as I said "frozen yogurt," Brent had already turned into the parking lot.

Now, I've been a little upset ever since TCBY closed its doors in Tyler. I just love frozen yogurt. But I had no idea how great it could be. Each of us concocted our own dessert. You'll see mine at the bottom of the picture. I had cake batter fro yo with Fruity Pebbles, Cap'n Crunch with Crunch Berries, and a little Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which turned out not to blend well with the other cereals. The others had things like mint fro yo with brownies and vanilla with brownies and peanut butter sauce. I'm sure you'd agree that mine was the best.

We didn't make plans for the trip. Only that we'd meet in Fort Worth. Since Brent and Patti live in the area, I felt fine with them coming up with a plan. But I didn't expect what they had in store: a trip to Dublin, Texas to the original Dr. Pepper plant. It's one of the things on my bucket list.

(Okay, I really don't have a bucket list, but when I create one, it'll be on there.)

I love Dr. Pepper. I just don't drink it. Because I have no self-restraint with it. I'd drink like a 2-liter a day. And that's just not okay. I was over-joyed at the beginning of the tour when they handed out ice-cold Dr. Pepper. It's not just any Dr. Pepper, but Dublin Dr. Pepper. The original recipe used granulated Imperial Sugar. When sugar was rationed during the war, they began using high-fructose corn syrup. So this was the real thing. Sure, I've had it before but NOT IN DUBLIN. It was better.

The tour is rather short. Imagine touring a 2000-square-foot house. Got it? That's it. We saw both sides of the conveyor and stacks of drinks. Then we moved onto the "museum," which is the size of a bedroom and large walk-in closet filled with memorabilia. But it was wonderful. Here are Patti & I on the tour.

We ate lunch in the little shop at the factory/museum. Husby had the B.E.S.T. Dr. Pepper float every. Bluebell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream + Dublin Dr. Pepper Syrup + a touch of carbonated water = AWESOME. I decided to try a NuGrape with my sandwich. It was yummy! By the end of our time in Dublin, I'm pretty sure that my body was in sugar shock. I don't drink sugary drinks, well, ever. It's either diet or water. But I didn't regret one ounce of Dr. Pepper, float, or NuGrape.

After our time in Dublin, we headed to Granbury to walk the square. It's full of cute little shops and antique stores. The four of us had fun in this store, trying on hats. I kind of wish they were in style! I loved wearing them.

Our grand plans to go to Billy Bob's--the world's biggest honky tonk--were put on the agenda the next time we're in Fort Worth. We were just so tired. Instead, we had dinner at a great hamburger place. Then we headed back to the hotel for some Canasta. Sounds like fun, right? Oh, it was. Give the four of us a deck or five of cards, and we'll be happy for hours. Or at least until the end of the game.

I hope this week is fabulous. Be a blessing!

Weekend Update

I love that I took lots of pictures this weekend. You could imagine my delight when I attempted to upload these pictures to my computer only to find that the battery was dead. For some reason, I cannot remember to charge the battery. Until I desperately need my camera and only have ten minutes to charge it. Or when I finally decide I have the two minutes it takes to put the pictures on my computer and discover that it's dead.

(To clarify: this memory card doesn't fit in my computer. Sure, it came with an adapter, but I couldn't figure out why this extra piece came with the camera software. I'm 89% sure that I threw it in the trash. Smart move.)

Instead of posting the pictures, I'll tell you about them. Because that's fun for everyone. It's like the blog version of looking at my baby pictures. Right?! Only, I was a cute baby, so I'm sure it'd be fun!

As I'm sure the whole country knows (yeah, I'm pretty sure we have readers from at least 2 states, not including Texas), Texas got some snow. And not just a little dusting; we got five inches. It was beautiful. Our school workday was cancelled on Friday. Hallelu! I slept light enough to know when the magical text came through, which also acted as my alarm. I was up, looking through the blinds at 6:30am. It was a magical wonderland. Husby and I dressed in warm clothes to walk through the snow. And to take lots of great pictures. Which are on my camera. With a dead battery. And no other way of retrieving them.

Saturday was a day of errand running. It was like I hadn't run some errands in months. Which could be quite true. I prefer buying multiples of things we use to avoid visiting a store too often. A highlight of the day was the coupon I received at Target for $5 off a pair of shoes. I'm thinking these might become a part of my spring wardrobe. Saturday night was excellent. It was Husby's turn for cooking our fancy Valentine's meal. He made some killer lamb with a leek couscous and chocolate pots with strawberries for dessert. Um...yum! I was so impressed.

I decided to make Valentine's Day special. For breakfast, I made heart-shaped red velvet pancakes. They were so much better than I expected! Since we don't have a picture, imagine a red, heart-shaped pancake. Got it? Good.

For lunch, I made personalized chicken pot pies for lunch. (I just remembered this picture from my iPhone--although it's not a great picture.) They were so good. And had a special touch.

Our main activity this weekend has been watching the Olympics. Is it odd that I'd rather watch moguls, speed skating and luge than figure skating? I'm so un-girly in this aspect, I guess. That's okay, I make cute, heart-shaped foods.

Later this week, I'll post recipes for chicken pot pie and red velvet pancakes. You'll for sure want to try both meals!